


Tequila

by MorningGlory2



Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: AU, Anal Sex, Blow Jobs, Break Up, Flashbacks, Kid Fic, M/M, Song fic, a little hurt/comfort, but happy ending, lotta sads, sorta - Freeform, stucky au, tequila by dan + shay, tequila mentions, these tags are not so great
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-30
Updated: 2019-04-30
Packaged: 2020-02-10 07:14:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,753
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18655555
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MorningGlory2/pseuds/MorningGlory2
Summary: Laughter filled the room, the vaulted ceilings making way for the noise to echo. Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows were the Rocky Mountains, snow covered and inviting. Snow fell around the home that night and it fit the mood.Small shot glasses were passed around, some with limes and some without. Laughing along with his longtime investor Dr. Alexander Pierce, Steve didn’t even bother to ask what was in the glass. He took the shot smoothly.As soon as the tequila hit his tongue he found the one thing he’d been missing this whole time. God, how could he have forgotten that small piece of himself locked up so far in the back of his heart.





	Tequila

**Author's Note:**

> I've been working on this for MONTHS! I cannot even remember when I started it. The song 'Tequila' by Dan + Shay inspired it along with the video and if you haven't seen or heard it I HIGHLY recommend it because OMG I think it's an incredible song and the video is beautiful and makes me cry and YEAH YOU JUST GOTTA IT IS GREAT! Thank you to my group chat buddies, freshwoods & buckysbrat & tillsunbeamsfindyou & stanclub for reading this over and being so amazing and to my wife Team Damon for being such an incredible source of strength and encouragement always. I LOVE YOU GUYS! 
> 
> Thank you all for reading, I really hope you enjoy this <3 It's one of my babies, I have to say. I LOVE how this turned out. I hope you guys do too!

The large mountain house was buzzing with people. Packed with friends and their spouses, with people Steve hadn’t seen in years. He hadn’t expected such a turn out to celebrate the opening of his art gallery.

 

The actual showing was the following night, but Sam had followed through on a promise made long ago to invite “everyone” Steve had ever met to a “huge throw down” to celebrate. It had been a surprise; Steve hadn’t thought Sam would actually do it. And now here he was, surrounded by at least eighty people all there in his honor. It was overwhelming.

 

His second glass of champagne was empty when he finally found Sam again. Steve spied his own ex-wife through the crowd. “You even invited Peggy,” he commented, amused that his wife of only a year had even come to support him. Sam chuckled.

 

“Man, have you not talked to her yet? She helped me throw this thing,” Sam clapped Steve on the back, smiling ear to ear for his longtime friend. “Just because you two decided marriage wasn’t for you doesn’t mean she didn’t want to support you in all this,” Sam gestured around the living room. Where the room normally had a television and his personal decorative items, now the room had prints of Steve’s artwork hanging. It was surreal for Steve, to say the least.

 

“You two…,” Steve began but no appropriate words followed. They couldn’t have picked a better place—Sam’s house in Aspen— or a better time of year—late November. All the pieces had fallen together. It was a dream come true. Though something was missing. Steve couldn’t place it yet, amid the casual conversation and the flowing alcohol. But something felt off, something Steve ached for but couldn’t find.

 

“Yeah yeah, don’t start crying yet. Save those tears for later. Tony! Celebratory shots!” Sam called over his shoulder to their friend by the bar. Steve laughed and shook his head, knowing his fate was well-sealed tonight. There was no way he’d make it out of this without at least a buzz. They’d never allow it.

 

Laughter filled the room, the vaulted ceilings making way for the noise to echo. Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows were the Rocky Mountains, snow covered and inviting. Snow fell around the home that night and it fit the mood.

 

Small shot glasses were passed around, some with limes and some without. Laughing along with his longtime investor Dr. Alexander Pierce, Steve didn’t even bother to ask what was in the glass. He took the shot smoothly.

 

As soon as the tequila hit his tongue, he found the one thing he’d been missing this whole time. God, how could he have forgotten that small piece of himself locked up so far in the back of his heart.

 

——- _flashback 10 years prior——_

 

_“I could rip that Harvard shirt right off you right now,” Steve growled into the man’s ear, standing behind him and dancing so close he could feel the huff of laughter more than hear it._

 

_“Just ‘cause you don’t want me to go back,” the man replied, lifting the bottle of high-end tequila to his lips. He downed a good shot’s worth before handing the bottle off to Steve, who gladly took a long drink of his own._

 

_“Fuck no I don’t. What am I supposed to do without you for three more months?” Steve murmured, holding the bottle in one hand and holding his boyfriend’s body with the other, hand on his stomach as he pressed him back into his own hips. They swayed to the music that filled the small cabin buried in the Rockies, a place Steve had been renting while working alongside the Air Force at the base in Colorado Springs. “Come on Buck. Would you just transfer?” Steve begged for the elevenhundreth time. Bucky just laughed again and snuggled deeper into Steve’s chest._

 

_“You know I can’t, pal. And besides, why would I wanna miss out on the welcome back sex? Fuck, you’ve been blowing my mind for two days. I can’t turn that down,” Bucky turned his head up, dragging his lips over Steve’s smooth jaw. Steve couldn’t fight the groan._

 

_“You’d be having that kinda sex every day if you’d just find a medical school out here.” Their bodies continued to grind together as Steve spoke softly. The conversation only got more intense with every time they were reunited. It had been two years already of back and forth. “I’ll never leave you, Buck. I’ll fuck you any which way you want, just please—“_

 

_Bucky silenced him when he turned and kissed him slow. The heat between them was building, the taste of tequila on their tongues. It was always their drink of choice. Saved for just them. “Let’s talk about it later,” Bucky whispered, “there’s more tequila to be had and I’m not sore so I think you can do a little bit better than you did on the last go ‘round. What do you say, Captain? You gonna fuck me til I can’t walk?” Bucky lowered his tone and rocked harder against Steve. Their lower halves were only separated by the thin cotton material of their sweatpants. And when Bucky pressed his lips to the glass bottle, suddenly Steve wanted those lips in a hell of a lot of better places._

 

_He took the bottle from Bucky and took a long swig himself, losing it somewhere on the couch as he pushed Bucky backward onto the large piece of leather furniture. “God, you’re so mouthy.”_

 

_“Maybe I wouldn’t be if you’d put something in it,” Bucky shot back, looking somehow innocent and sinful all at the same moment as he sat on the couch, looking up at Steve with those wide blue-gray eyes. Steve was beyond smitten. It was almost a problem._

 

_“You want that mouth full of cock? Who am I to deny your hungry ways,” He reached into the waistband of the Army-issued sweatpants he wore and pulled himself free, already rigid from the way Bucky had been dancing up on him since dinner. They did that a lot—danced in Steve’s dimly lit living room while the snow fell outside._

 

_Bucky licked his lips like his favorite candy awaited him. The tip was wet, and Bucky longed to lick at it by the look on his face. Steve would be lying if he denied the deep feelings he had for the man, tried to make this all about sex. It was far from that; it was so much more than he could articulate in a simple I love you._

 

_Bucky knew better than to reach for Steve, he would take what was offered. So, he waited until Steve shed his shirt and his sweatpants and reached for Bucky’s head. Bucky came more than willingly, opening his mouth to accept the cock. Steve ran his fingers through the man’s short, fluffy tendrils, stroking the back of this head as Bucky’s tongue slipped around his cock. He encouraged him to take more and Bucky listened. They had a dynamic. It worked for them. Bucky now submitted to Steve with practiced ease. And Steve dominated Bucky in the way he’d always wanted to. Bucky loosened his jaw and swallowed down what he could of Steve, groaning around him at the taste._

 

_Steve cursed at the feeling; the way Bucky sucked hard at his length making his whole body feel like fire. Bucky’s hands settled on his thighs, gripping as he devoured Steve with every bit of desire he had. Occasionally, Bucky’s eyes would flutter up to his, catching sight of how he pleased Steve and knowing he caused that blissed-out look. Steve never held back for Bucky, that was part of his praise. He was transparent in showing Bucky just how amazing he made him feel._

 

_“Good boy,” he verbally praised, eyes flickering to the snow falling outside and back to Bucky’s mouth as he thanked the heavens for giving him this time, for giving him Bucky. Bucky groaned around him again, sucking harder, aching to bring Steve to his knees with his mouth._

 

_But Steve had other plans, holding Bucky still after a few moments. Bucky's eyes flashed up to meet Steve’s and he knew what was about to happen. He watched Bucky stroke himself a few times through his sweatpants as he prepared himself. “I’m gonna fuck your mouth, beautiful boy. You ready?” Steve murmured, eyes only on Bucky now as the man nodded as best, he could with his mouth currently full. Steve grasped both sides of Bucky’s head, threading his fingers through his hair as he started to rock._

 

_He was shallow at first, marveling at the feel of Bucky’s tight lips around him, the feel of his wet tongue. He gradually worked to thrusting almost all the way into Bucky’s mouth. His hips swinging with a rhythm, slight saliva dribbling from Bucky’s mouth as he happily took every inch he was given with sweet moans. Steve stared at the sight and knew if he didn’t stop, he’d come right down Bucky’s throat. But didn’t they want that? Steve couldn’t decide but knowing Bucky was rock hard himself under those thin gray pants stopped him. One last thrust and he pulled out, leaving Bucky panting. His lips were red, his hair tousled, his eyes tearing up from the way Steve had slammed into the back of his inviting throat. But the sweet smile on Bucky’s blissed out face told Steve alone how much he loved it._

 

_“So good to me, so good to my cock,” he praised as he redirected Bucky to lay back into the couch cushions, hands already working at the sweatpants, dragging them down his toned legs. Bucky helped as best he could, throwing his shirt aside as he opened his arms and legs for Steve, inviting. They fell together, kissing madly as Steve lay atop him, their body warmth and the warmth from the fire wrapping them up against the snowstorm outside. Their tongues tasted of salt and tequila and the mix was addictive. Hands groping every inch they could, Steve dropped his mouth to Bucky’s jaw and then his neck, teasing the skin and sucking small marks as Bucky writhed against him, their cocks rubbing together frantically._

 

_“S-Steve, I’m so close,” he whined, hands grasping Steve’s ass and shoving him down on Bucky’s body. Steve rocked harder, panting into Bucky’s neck._

 

_“Thought you wanted me to fuck you?” Steve sassed, grabbing the bottle of lube from the couch side table. They’d fucked on the carpet in front of the fire that morning and he hadn’t bothered to put it back—he knew he’d be needing it again. And he was right._

 

_“God yes, please,” he begged beautifully, and Steve didn’t have to do anything other than soak his cock in slick before lining up with Bucky’s spasming entrance, his body begging to be filled. Bucky all but shoved himself over the flared head of Steve’s thick cock, crying out against the delicious intrusion. Steve let his body wrap him up and drag him inside with every clench and spasm of Bucky’s tightness. For having been fucked earlier, he was still snug as ever, and Steve loved that about him._

 

_Their foreheads pressed together, they moved as one. It was rough, it was quick, it was hungry, but it was all they wanted. Bucky begged and cried against Steve, holding on for dear life as Steve dictated every bit of what was happening. Bucky didn’t have to ask to come, didn’t even dare try. He knew by now that Steve ran this show. But it was exactly what Bucky wanted, he wanted every bit of that. Steve knew it with his whole soul._

 

_——- Present day——_

 

The tequila roared that little hidden piece of him back to life and it startled Steve. The memories came rushing back, splashing over him like an ocean wave. God, he’d pushed Bucky so so far away. Somehow between Peggy and his work, he’d managed to get through the pain, get past it and move on. He’d pushed it aside in order to survive. Because the day Bucky had decided to leave Colorado for good had been the most devastating day of Steve’s life.

 

He hadn’t seen him or spoken to him since that day. Ten years prior. They’d spent two amazing years together. Steve has seen forever with him. He had seen kids and a white picket fence, a loyal dog, _everything_. Bucky would be a pediatrician and Steve would open his gallery once he retired from the Army.

 

But in reality, Steve didn’t have any kids and he was already divorced. He had the same small cabin with no picket fence, no dog to greet him at the door. No husband for him to hold at night.

 

But he had his gallery. The one thing he’d held on to.

 

He just wished Bucky was here to see it. He’d always been so damn supportive, even when they had parted. Bucky had made sure to tell Steve all the right things just before he walked out the door and wrecked Steve’s world. All over distance. Steve could have made it work, had been determined. Bucky couldn’t see past his internship and residency. The one thing they never promised the other was that they’d call. They never said it and they never did it. Steve had stared at the phone for months, but he’d never once dialed the memorized number. Bucky had never called him. It had truly been just... _over_.

 

“Hey man, you alright?” Tony asked, jarring Steve from his memories as he reached for the now empty shot glass. Steve blinked a few times and handed Tony the glass, peering toward the bar.

 

“Yeah, sorry. I’ll have another one actually.”

 

Tony raised an eyebrow but only complied, “Haven’t seen you drink tequila in years, Cap,” he commented with a chuckle as he headed back to refill the guest of honor’s drink.

 

Steve didn’t drink tequila. Not since his last night with Bucky. Hadn’t touched a bottle since. But now...one taste and he wasn’t able to say no to it—or the flood of memories of Bucky.

 

If Bucky were there, Steve wouldn’t be able to say no to him either.

 

——-flashback 10 years prior——-

 

_“Steve, you’re not listening! It’ll be two years before I see you again. I can’t come out here anymore once my internship starts. And even if you came east, odds are I won’t have time for you either.”_

 

_Bucky was rubbing his face with both hands, dragging his hands through his slightly shorter hair. Steve knew he was beyond frustrated. But like hell was he giving up the love of his life without a fight. “Buck, if you want this bad enough— “_

 

_“Don’t you dare think I don’t want this,” when Bucky looked up, he had tears in his exhausted eyes. Steve had to admit; this wouldn’t be easy on anyone. Bucky had been catching red eyes for months, spending two to four days at a time before flying back. That would make anyone exhausted, but a med student? Bucky was perpetually tired. The bags under his beautiful eyes told Steve that without words._

 

_They were both massively in debt from the flights back and forth. At the beginning it hadn’t mattered. But with Bucky’s life teetering on the beginning of making zero money for the foreseeable future, it was weighing on him hard._

 

_And sometimes things that don’t initially matter start to eventually matter heavily._

 

_Steve was a captain in the United States Army. It wasn’t like he was raking in money._

 

_“Maybe we just take a break? We stay in touch,” Steve suggested, the pain striking through his heart with every syllable he forced himself to speak. His relationship with Bucky had been everything. They’d talked about the future. This was completely unexpected. It was earth shattering._

 

_“I can’t—,” Bucky cut himself off, fighting a sob as he covered his mouth. He stood in the middle of the living room, hand on his hip as he tried to find the words he needed. Steve sat as patiently as possible, knowing his entire world stood with the man before him. “I can’t do that to you. I can’t make you wait. I’d feel awful.”_

 

_“You’re not making me do anything,” Steve argued quietly, “I love you. I’m willing to let you do what you need to do and wait for you on the other side.” It would take everything Steve had but he could do it. At least he hoped._

 

_“And go at least two years probably without seeing me? Steve,” Bucky laughed humorlessly, “you’re being dramatic. That’ll never work.”_

 

_“I’m being dramatic?! You’re throwing everything between us away because you’re tired and you have school!” Steve knew as soon as he spouted the words, he wished he’d kept them inside. Bucky visibly bristled._

 

_“Fuck off, man. I’m the one who comes here, I’m the one who’s barely hanging on. I’ll be as dramatic as I fucking want. I’ll dramatically walk right out your fucking front door if you’re gonna be like that,” Bucky shouted, tossing his hand in the direction of the way he’d come only a couple hours prior._

 

_“You don’t think this is hard on me?” Steve stood, chest swelling with the unbearable panic of losing the one good thing of this life. “You don’t think I hate when you leave? That I don’t miss you like hell and wish I could just retire now and move to Boston with you?”_

 

_Bucky bit his lip as tears escaped. “I wanna quit school,” he confessed quietly, staring at the floor. “I could be a bartender, maybe work at a doctors’ office 9-5. Then I could be here with you and— “_

 

_“Would you listen to yourself?” Steve interrupted, his voice much softer now, hands coming up to cup Bucky’s shoulders. “You’re brilliant. Kids out there need you. You cannot quit school. I won’t let you.”_

 

_“So, it’s school or you then?” Bucky’s sad blue eyes looked up the Steve’s and the bloodshot wetness made Steve’s heart ache heavily._

 

_“Yes. For now. Not forever.”_

 

_They both knew this was permanent. They didn’t need to say any more. The look they shared said it all, their lips crashing together one last time. Steve would forever remember the taste of Bucky’s salty tears, mixed with the heat with which he gave himself to Steve. So many I love yous, so many I’ll miss yous between them. Steve made sure to take it slow, to pour himself into Bucky’s heart and soul. They’d drank tequila from the bottle and held on tight. This was their last time together, their last everything. They held on and cried as they agreed to part silently._

 

_Steve held Bucky that night, all night, their naked bodies pressed together as they both silently dwelled on their memories. With the morning came the saddest goodbye Steve had ever experienced. He’d feel that pain forever, it was seared into his soul._

 

_“Make sure you open your gallery, okay?” Bucky spoke, his voice sounding funny to Steve’s ears. It was full of emotion; Steve could tell he was trying to hold it together._

 

_“I promise I’ll try,” Steve managed to reply, chewing his lip as he shuffled his feet on his small front porch. Bucky sniffled._

 

_“Steve, you’re a fuckin’ incredible artist. If you don’t open that gallery, no one will know that. You’ve gotta show off your work. Keep drawing and painting until you have enough pieces. People will pay good money for your visions,” every word Bucky spoke was powerful, his eyes locked on Steve’s. It made Steve’s heartache worse._

 

_“Bucky, I love you. So much. Always remember that okay? Go off and save kids and make ‘em laugh, alright?” Steve enveloped Bucky in a tight hug, his own emotions getting the best of him. “I’ll always think about you,” he whispered into Bucky’s ear. He could feel the shudder of a sob against his chest._

 

_“There’ll never be anyone like you, Steve,” Bucky replied before pulling back. Steve laughed through the tears clouding his vision._

 

_“Nah, I ain’t special.”_

 

_Bucky’s expression grew so incredibly soft that Steve had to pray for strength to hold it together. “You’re the best thing I’ve ever had.”_

 

_And with those parting words, stunning Steve to silence, Bucky kissed him long and sweet one last time before walking down the steps and out of Steve’s life._

 

_Steve wasn’t sure he’d recover. He stood and watched Bucky drive away and contemplated how he’d let this happen. He’d just let his heart walk away. For good._

 

_———present day———_

 

The party was bustling, but Steve was hardly aware. He was lost in his memories; lost in those years he’d forgotten about. How he had forgotten, he now had no idea.

 

He found himself moving toward the bar for more tequila when the front door bell rang right near where he stood. Surprised by the noise, the shrill bell startling him back to the present, he turned to see Sam pulling open the door and greeting the new guest enthusiastically. When his friend stepped aside, Steve’s heart nearly dropped down into his shoes.

 

“Does it always snow like this?” Bucky Barnes asked as he stepped through the door with his own smile, albeit a shy one. Steve blinked his eyes several times, quite sure the tequila in his veins was now playing tricks on his brain. But each time he blinked, it only made Bucky clearer and clearer in this line of sight.

 

Snow covered the shoulders of his jacket and the newsboy hat he wore. He looked older, but only in the way that made a man infinitely more attractive, scattered lines that told a story. His dimples were just the same as he smiled and thanked Peggy for taking his coat. He apologized for spilling snow in the entryway, but Sam brushed it off easily. Steve still stood dumbfounded, taking in the view of the man he was sure he’d never see again, in dark jeans and a festive forest green sweater. When he pulled his hat off, Steve realized he’d grown his hair out, a small bun capturing it in the back. A few pieces framed his face and Steve suddenly had the strong urge to brush them behind his ear. He actually had to restrain himself.

 

“Thanks for coming, man. Steve is around here somewhere,” he could hear Sam saying, not realizing he was standing only a mere few feet away. Bucky scanned the joyous crowd as well, and his eyes landed on Steve’s before Sam’s did. Their eyes locked and it was like Steve was twenty-two again and seeing Bucky for that very first time.

 

Bucky’s eyes were the same color blue, the laugh lines surrounding them were beautiful. He was broad, maybe thirty pounds heavier than he’d been when they’d been together but judging by the way his sweater hugged his arms, it was muscle that made him so much bigger. He looked _good_.

 

Too good for Steve’s thirty-five-year-old heart.

 

“Oh, there he is! Rogers, stop staring and get over here!” Sam called him out and Steve felt himself being pulled. Snapping back into his body, he regained composure and stepped up to Bucky, offering a slow smile and his hand.

 

“Bucky...hey,” he began softly, awe still in his voice. “Hi...no one told me you were coming, sorry I’m just…”

 

“It’s okay,” Bucky hurried to reply, shaking his head with a shy grin. “I almost didn’t come because I wasn’t sure…”

 

“I’m so glad you did,” Steve quickly interrupted, holding his hand a little too long and a little too tight in less of a hand shake and more on a grip.

 

“Bucky! Can I get you a drink?” Sam glanced between the pair and Steve was sure he was just trying to save him from making a further fool of himself. He clapped a hand on Bucky’s shoulder and the men dropped their hands, albeit a bit awkwardly.

 

“Uh... yeah, sure. I’ll take a beer, please. Stella if you have it.”

 

“You got it. Steve?”

 

“Same, please.”

 

“Sure, pal.”

 

As soon as Sam was gone, Steve and Bucky fell into a short, awkward silence. Bucky broke it, glancing around the big house. “He has a nice place.”

 

Steve appreciated the easy conversation. “He does. It was nice of him to throw the party for me,” Steve shoved his hands in his pockets and rocked on his heels.

 

“You get a big house, Mr. Big Artist?” There was teasing in Bucky’s tone but also a hint of something else. He was grinning and Steve could feel himself slipping.

 

“Nah, still got my old cabin. Couldn’t part with it,” he shrugged, “I’m sentimental.”

 

“Yeah, I know,” Bucky replied quickly before rolling his lips together, his cheeks turning red, “Anyway, I’m really proud of you. For getting your gallery. You deserve this. You’re so fuckin’ talented.”

 

The conviction behind his words stopped Steve in his tracks, his brain scrambling. “I... yeah. Thank you. It’s been a long time coming but I made it happen. Are you coming tomorrow? I don’t know if Sam…”

 

“Wouldn’t miss it for anything, Steve. Even if I hadn’t moved here, I still would have come.”

 

As Sam returned with their beers, Steve took his absently, his mind reeling. “Moved here?” He asked, puzzled and surprised.

 

Bucky rubbed the back of his neck and tugged at his bun before sipping his beer. “Yeah. I live here now. Well actually in Monument; I took a job with St Francis Medical Center. Peds floor. I just finished my fellowship in Boston and got an offer out here I couldn’t refuse.”

 

Steve absorbed the information, his mind racing once more. Bucky lived twenty-five minutes away. He _lived_ here. That was...unbelievable.

 

“That’s...congratulations, Buck! I guess you got what you wanted too, huh?”

 

Bucky nodded, smiling. “Yeah...guess so. We have a lot to celebrate, personally, I guess.”

 

“Hell, yeah we do,” Steve, on a whim, turned and caught Tony’s attention with a wave. “Stark! Tequila please. Straight.”

 

He turned back to Bucky to find the man a little wide-eyed, his mouth slightly agape. Whether it was the previous shots or his apparently new _to hell with it_ mentality he’d just adopted, he added, “Come on. Old times sake.”

 

Bucky let a grin break out, followed by a laugh Steve hadn’t heard in years. “Rogers...you and tequila…”

 

Steve chose not to add anything as Tony arrived with the tray, passing one to each man. They clinked the glasses and downed the alcohol. Steve embraced the burn. As they set their glasses back down, he caught Bucky’s blue eyes. _God_ , he’d missed them.

 

Bucky rocked on his heels as he chased the tequila with a sip of his cold beer. Their silence only lasted a minute before Sam was whisking Bucky away to show him the place. They shared a glance as he went, Steve watching him go but having some comfort in the fact he wasn’t going far, and he wouldn’t be far away anymore. Steve felt himself smiling. Maybe this would be okay. Maybe they could be friends.

 

The night carried on around them and somehow, they always ended up at each other’s sides. The conversation was fairly impersonal, more about Steve’s art and work. Steve was so damn proud of Bucky in all he’d done with his life. No wedding ring told him he wasn’t married -- maybe he was unattached? He hoped there’d be time to talk later as people started to leave and the crowd started to dwindle.

 

Steve knew thinking of a relationship with Bucky was truly the _last_ thing he needed to think about, but his romantic heart was in a full nose dive. And after all the tequila and being so close to Bucky all night, it was impossible to prevent. Tomorrow he’d have a headache and an emotional hangover but for right now he would let himself consider possibilities.

 

Steve found Bucky by the fireplace as the night started to close around them. Sam and his wife were cleaning up and saying their goodbyes to their guests. Bucky seemed to be finishing his beer, the reflection of the roaring fire telling Steve he didn’t have much time. There was so much to say but how...and where to begin?

 

Standing shoulder to shoulder, Bucky began talking, starting Steve from his mental gymnastics about what to say first. “I got married. Six years ago. Michelle,” he smiles a little, Steve watches him and waits with bated breath, his heart on the precipice of shattering all over again. “We had a daughter. She’s four. Name’s Cara. Michelle and I split when she was one. We just...weren’t right for each other. Cara lives here with me and she’ll spend the summers with her mother,” Bucky glanced up at Steve, a small smile on his face. “She’s my world, Steve.”

 

“Peggy and I got married. You met her tonight, right?” Bucky nodded. “Marriage wasn’t for us either,” he shrugged, “Guess that happens sometime right?”

 

Steve’s heart pounded on as hope filled it up once more. “Guess it does,” Bucky finished his beer and turned toward Steve, a small smile back on his lips. “I stopped thinking about you. Made myself do it. Just...put you away. And then I got this offer. And it was like,” he paused, looking to the fire before looking back to Steve with emotional, hopeful eyes, “something was bringing my past back. I wanted to look for you when I came out for my interview, but I wasn’t sure you’d see me, and I couldn’t handle that. But then Sam called right before I accepted the job and that was it. Between the job and... you, I was coming back here.”

 

Steve felt a lump grow in his throat with every word he said. “I’m glad you’re here,” Steve murmured, sure as he could possibly be. Bucky smiled wide this time.

 

“Me too.”

 

“Can we maybe have dinner next Friday? I’ll cook,” Steve offered, putting out there the question that had been marinating on his mind the last half of the night. Bucky nodded immediately.

 

“I’d love that. I’ll just make sure I’ve got a sitter for Cara.”

 

“Bring her,” the words were out of his mouth before he could stop them. Brow furrowing, Bucky studied Steve.

 

“You’re sure?”

 

“Completely. Of course, I want to meet your daughter, Buck,” Steve replied softly. “Can’t wait to, actually. If you want me to, that is.”

 

“I’d love for you to meet her. She’s my everything.”

 

“Great. That settles it. But I’ll still see you tomorrow right?”

 

“You know it. Been looking forward to this opening for over a decade.”

 

“You’re too good to me,” Steve laughed as he let his hand run over the top of Bucky’s. Bucky’s smile lit up his soul.

 

“Nah. But maybe I’ll try to be.”

 

\-------

 

“She’s adorable, Buck.”

 

Bucky stood in the doorway to Steve’s living room a week later, their dinner date having gone exceptionally well. Cara was fast asleep on Steve’s couch, curled up under a blanket as the end credits of a Disney show played quietly on the television. Her mouth was still a little chocolate-covered from the cookies Steve had baked especially for her. Bucky had been impressed by the great lengths Steve had gone through to get to know her. She’d been shy at first but by dinner she had opened up, telling Steve all about her favorite _Paw Patrol_ characters as she inhaled her cheese ravioli.

 

Steve slipped an arm tentatively around Bucky’s waist as he spoke. Bucky turned his head to gaze up at him, unable to keep the adoration out of his eyes. “Thanks, Steve,” he murmured. “Thank you for everything tonight. You were great with her.”

 

“It was my pleasure. Having you here again is…,” he drifted off, seeming to need a moment to gather his thoughts, “It’s surreal. Tonight has been the best night in a really, really long time. I’m so glad you’re here.”

 

Bucky was sure he’d never grow tired of hearing those words. “Me too,” he replied, leaning into Steve’s strong chest. Steve’s beard brushed against his forehead as they leaned together, watching Cara sleep.

 

“I hadn’t allowed myself to keep loving you,” Steve began, making Bucky suddenly hold his breath. “I forced myself to stop, or at least I thought I had. But this past week I realized I don’t think I ever did. Seeing you, hearing you, _thinking_ about you...I never really stopped loving you, Buck.” Steve’s words were heavy and heartfelt, and Bucky felt his own heart begin to pound against his ribs. “I know you just got back, and I know it’s been a really, really long time. I’m okay with waiting for a while, I swear, I just want you to know that --”

 

Bucky cut him off, turning as Steve spoke and pressing his lips to his in a solid, sure kiss. It was sweet and slow but no less purposeful. Steve gasped a little in surprise and Bucky grinned into it, peppering his lips with a few small ones before pulling back.

 

“I want to be here. I want to be with you. I pushed you away from my mind when I left but even marrying Michelle didn't change how much I missed you. We can take this one day at a time, but it feels so good to be here,” Bucky leaned into Steve, wrapping his arms around him. Steve buried his face in Bucky’s neck.

 

“Can I take you out? Properly. Maybe next week? There's a great Italian place in town I think you'd like,” Steve leaned back, letting his hands rest on Bucky's waist. Bucky beamed at the invitation.

 

“I'd love that,” Bucky replied, leaning up to kiss Steve again. It still felt the same as all those years ago; those tequila-laced kisses they'd share right there in Steve's living room on his visits. The sparks were still there, flickering under the years of suppression. The fire was beginning to burn once more, in the exhilarating way tequila burned inside Bucky's chest upon that first shot. Bucky had Steve bad. They'd managed to find their way together again, despite the distance and the heartache. And for that, no matter what happened this time around, he was forever grateful.


End file.
